On Sacramento Street between Locust and Spruce, a four-story building has been going up on a third of an acre. Its plans were first filed in 2007, the same year the property sold for $8.5 million. The city gave final approval in 2020 and issued building permits in 2022. By August 2025, crews had finished much of the foundation and part of the garage.
Then this summer, SF YIMBY reported that the sponsor is looking at using San Francisco's Family Zoning Plan to take 3637–3657 Sacramento Street to six floors, which would double it from 18 homes to 36.
So far, that's what the rezoning looks like in Presidio Heights: a project already 19 years in the making, asking for more. It hasn't brought fresh teardowns or developers buying up corner lots. If you're comparing this neighborhood with others on the Northside, that difference matters more than the zoning map.
Seven months of new height limits, fewer than 40 proposed units
San Francisco Planning says the Board of Supervisors adopted the Family Zoning Plan ordinances on December 9, 2025, and Mayor Daniel Lurie signed them on December 12. The rules took effect on January 12, 2026, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
On paper, the change is big. Planning's summary of the adopted map lays out the main pieces:
- Mid-rise housing of 6 to 8 stories, and high-rise housing of 9 or more, on major transit and commercial streets
- Off-corridor residential blocks keep their existing height limit, typically 4 stories, but density is now capped by building size, so more units can fit inside the same envelope
- One extra floor, up to 5 stories, for properties near selected commercial streets
- Up to 6 stories on corner lots and on "opportunity sites" larger than 8,000 square feet
What came next was quiet. On August 8, 2026, the Chronicle's J.K. Dineen reported that seven months in, the plan had produced seven proposed projects adding fewer than 40 units to the city's pipeline. The list included the Inner Richmond's 230 Anza Street, two nine-unit buildings in Twin Peaks, a Noe Valley triplex, a Cow Hollow duplex, and a lot merger on Upper Market.
The same article compares this with the city's earlier rezonings. After height limits went up in Rincon Hill, Central SoMa, Market-Octavia and the Eastern Neighborhoods, developers bought up sites and competed to be ready to break ground the moment the new rules took effect. That hasn't happened this time. The Chronicle points to the same forces that have stalled market-rate construction since the pandemic, rising construction costs and high interest rates. Back in May, a Planning spokesperson gave Bisnow a longer list: financing and construction costs, labor, materials, insurance, and general economic uncertainty, which in many cases had outpaced rents.
Taller zoning raises what a building is allowed to be. It doesn't change what the building costs to put up. When rents and sale prices can't cover that cost, the extra height has no buyer.
The projects that pencil share a history
Look at who is actually using the plan in and around Presidio Heights. In each case, the land is already owned, the site is already empty, or a project is already moving.
| Site | Where it stood before the rezoning | What's now on the table |
|---|---|---|
| 3637–3657 Sacramento St., Presidio Heights | Bought in 2007, approved in 2020, permitted in 2022, under construction as 4 stories and 18 homes | A project review request exploring 6 floors and 36 homes |
| 2800 Geary Blvd. at Wood St., Presidio Heights | An abandoned auto shop on a quarter-acre corner, with an earlier version of the proposal that has since been updated | 49 units filed under Housing Choice-SF |
| 230 Anza St., Inner Richmond | A two-story building vacant since 2019, bought last summer for about $945,000 | 8 condos at 85 feet, approved by the Planning Commission |
On Sacramento Street, adding floors to a building that's already rising is about the cheapest extra housing a developer can get. The land is paid for, the garage is underway, and the entitlement work is done. Even so, YIMBY notes the filing is a project review meeting request, not a preliminary or formal application.
At 2800 Geary, SF YIMBY reported in February that updated plans for a seven-story apartment building were among the first applications to use Housing Choice-SF, the plan's local bonus program. The proposal would demolish the abandoned auto shop. The Chronicle's August piece describes it a little differently, as veteran builder Sean Sullivan planning a 49-unit, six-story condo project on the site of the old Firestone Tires shop. The unit count is the same in both reports. The height and the ownership model differ, so expect the details to keep changing as the project moves through Planning.
The 230 Anza approval, a few blocks west, shows how far the program can stretch a lot. The SF Standard reported that the property is zoned for 40 feet but qualifies for nearly double that under Housing Choice-SF because it sits near transit and meets the city's new density targets. Commissioner Sean McGarry told the Standard, "There's going to be little needles sticking out in every neighborhood."
Those "needles" are showing up where an empty building, a long-held parcel, or an existing approval already made the math easier. The rest of the map, the lived-in homes and occupied small buildings, hasn't seen the same activity.
What this means for the block you're considering
Two homes in Presidio Heights can sit under the same new height limit and face very different odds of change next door. On Sacramento Street, the parcel that's actually changing is the one that already had permits, a garage under construction and an owner since 2007. If you're looking near Sacramento Street, California Street, Geary or Laurel Village, these questions get you closer to an answer:
- Is the nearby parcel on a corridor, on a corner, or larger than 8,000 square feet? Those are the categories Planning's map opens up the most.
- Is it vacant, boarded, or a former commercial use? All three sites in the table above were one of those.
- Does it already have an approval, permit, or project on file? The Sacramento Street site had been in the pipeline since 2007 before anyone mentioned six stories.
- Has the owner held it a long time? A low cost basis leaves more room for a project to pencil at today's construction costs.
- What does the adopted parcel map actually say? Planning publishes the adopted interactive map and PDFs under its Maps & Policy tab. Check the exact lot, not the general corridor.
None of this predicts what a given owner will do. It does separate a parcel where a taller building is a live proposal from one where it's only allowed. A rule summary is general information, not legal advice. If a specific parcel's zoning affects your offer, check it with Planning and your own attorney or land-use professional.
Bigger proposals are being discussed, and the plan is still in court
Two things could change how fast this moves.
The first is the pipeline behind the filings. The Chronicle quoted Planning's chief of staff, Dan Sider, saying planners are meeting with property owners and developers about many other projects, some significantly bigger than those already submitted. Nearby examples in the same article include an eight-story, 42-unit complex under consideration at 5420 Geary Boulevard and a proposal for 15 homes at 2629 Lombard in Cow Hollow. The city is also working on construction rules. The Standard reported on October 13 that the Department of Building Inspection had drafted guidance letting some four- to six-story apartment buildings request a single interior stair. No new rule had been issued as of that report.
The second is litigation. In January, Neighborhoods United SF, Small Business Forward and residents sued under the California Environmental Quality Act, challenging the city's environmental review. In February, YIMBY Law, the California Housing Defense Fund and Californians for Homeownership filed a separate suit arguing the plan falls short of state housing targets. HousingWire reported on September 10 that the CEQA case was still pending and the zoning changes remained in effect while litigation continues.
FAQ
Can someone build six stories next to any house in Presidio Heights now? No. Planning's summary says off-corridor residential areas keep their existing height limit, typically four stories, with an extra floor near selected commercial streets. Six stories applies to corner lots and opportunity sites over 8,000 square feet, and mid-rise heights apply on major transit and commercial streets.
Does Housing Choice-SF require affordable units on site? SF YIMBY reports that, unlike the State Density Bonus Law, the program doesn't require on-site affordable housing. Planning's Director Bulletin No. 11 explains that inclusionary requirements still apply through eligible compliance options.
Is the Sacramento Street building definitely going to six stories? Not yet. As of SF YIMBY's August 27 report, the sponsor had only requested a project review meeting, which isn't a formal application.
If you're weighing a Presidio Heights home near a corridor and want to know what the parcels around it are likely to become, I'm glad to pull the project history with you before you write an offer. Kate Stoll can walk through the zoning map, the filings and the tradeoffs with you, block by block. Schedule a consultation.
